The present invention generally relates to missile warheads and, more specifically, to warheads which can be fragmented into a desired number of fragments for a particular target. The invention is a result of a contract with the Department of Energy (Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36).
Recently, sensor technology has progressed to the point where a warhead or missile can not only acquire their own targets, but can also distinguish between so-called "hard" and "soft" targets. This ability would be of great benefit if the warhead could configure itself to achieve the greatest efficiency for a particular target, that is, to produce the size and number of fragments most effective for the given situation. For example, a "smart" missile could determine the nature of the target and, if a tank, form a single fragment; if an armored personnel carrier, form three fragments; if a radar van, form five fragments; and if personnel, form seven or more fragments.
Although fragmentation weapons, such as the fragmentation grenade, have existed for decades, the number of fragments produced has never been selectable. Such devices are made by machining or scoring the metal plate so that an explosion will separate the plate into the desired fragments. There is then no possibility of selecting a certain number or size of fragments.
Although efforts have been made to control fragmentation through the use of electrically driven slapper plates, these efforts have not yet been successful. To accomplish this with slapper plates, many circuits would be required, greatly complicating the system. Also, slapper plates may be susceptible to electrical interference.
The present invention overcomes these problems through use of fiber optics to initiate explosives in such a way as to launch the desired number of fragments from the metal plate.
With fiber optics, which are not affected by electrical interference, the number of fragments can be selected by the electronics of a warhead, tailored for a particular target.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fragmentation warhead which allows for selecting the number of fragments to be projected.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fragmentation warhead that is not susceptible to interference from electrical disturbances.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.